When Gordon Wolder, 26, and Kari Nolte, a single mom of 28, met in March 2011, they knew they were meant to be together. Despite having totally opposite personalities (he was fun and spontaneous, she was the organized one), these two knew they wanted to get married just two weeks after they'd met. They were each other's missing halves and couldn't ask for more. They decided to start planning their wedding for October 2012.
However, tragedy was about to strike. Doctors told Gordon that the rare form of cancer, leiomyosarcoma, that he had so bravely and successfully fought as a teenager was back 12 years later. According to WebMd, leiomyosarcoma is a malignant tumor that grows from the cells of smooth or involuntary muscles, such as those lining the digestive tract. It is very aggressive and usually spreads via the bloodstream, and is so rare that it affects only about 4 in every 1 million people. Its cause is still unknown.
Gordon's condition started to slowly deteriorate. He started to lose weight and his strength, to the point where his dad, Gordon Sr., had to carry him around. However, Gordon's positive attitude never left him. Despite what the doctors said, he always believed he was going to beat the cancer. Sadly, by mid April, the situation took a turn for the worse. Kari, who stood by him all the time, said that they looked into each others eyes and knew they wanted to get married. They gathered all their loved ones and pushed the wedding to April 14th. They got married in Gordon's hospital bed.
During the ceremony, Kari and Gordon laid together in bed, his last words being "I do." Two minutes after his vows, he was gone. "They kissed", says his dad, "and after they kissed Gordon tried to stay. He tried to stay with us, he really did. And we told him, 'You're married now, son. And it's OK'."
This is a truly heart-swelling love story and it's very difficult to watch it without tears coming to your eyes. However, we assure you that the way it ends makes it really motivational and moving in a very positive way. Kari never regretted anything because she'd found love, and love had found her, too. Instead of being sad for what she'd lost, she was thankful for all the joy she had known. And that's the beautiful message we wanted to share with all of you.
What she said in the end made us all feel feel grateful for the people we love and the people who love us.We thought that the story of such a brave couple deserved to be shared.
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